WHY THE BOMBERS THUNDERED

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01601R000300350087-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 13, 2000
• Sequence Number: 87
• Publication Date: January 2, 1972
• Content Type: NSPR

. NEW YORK TIMES ..
Approved For Release 2001/03/04 Utl3V&DP80-01601 F
Ombe, , .f Ani - "" -- .4,
r-S n u gale STATINTL
IY.FRED 13RANF'MAN be false; that at least two-had been a they enfcr ltic body; and shot down over North Vietnam, one gurv -
WASHINGTON---The Nixon Admin- east of Hann, hambs, which explode in the air and
Istration's decision to reactivate the send their pellets dawn dia,getaily to.
North Vietnam It !s, perhaps, for this reason that enter holes where their targets may
air could campaign well be the against most serious escala. Secretary Laird did not use such bc hiding,
tion since the Gulf of Tonkin In May,. reports to justify the present raids.
1964. (4) Mr. Lairds statement that the 1:,.rd Etrcur,rian is director of PrnJecf
~T'he'?350 planes that flew 24-hour; 1968 bombing halt agreement was no Air 1;'ar, a It cts)tin .fog-Luseci re earch
longer in force prepares ' ~'
f iulti1ply` sorties conducted raids as full-scale bombing of the the North. way for or_~a,urcttiorr. lie studied the c it war
heavy as- any. ever launched against in L:ias, .1967-71, a.3 ,a t_?ahinfeer with.
the North, Unless checked by public The thesis that the Administration ilea 1ntrrrratiorral Volwrtm't, Service.
nn;nrnn ii,n A I..,;.,,-r ...,.:..... ....... ...-n will Pa as far as n?hiir nnininn snnn,e
vy I-1-- w ,cvul 11:11!!t it11u tlal- _J ---- .? .... ........... w., ~... /? .
phong, mine Haiiahon,-. Harbor, and in the Pentagon Papers, that all official //
An esa crated ~ pared by the top-level Jason Division t :.Y....~,...,
gg prediction? Con- of the Institute for Defense Analysis, facts:
skier these f
,
._a
r1 , . :3 '!, w
t
b
exam
1) Th
Ad
i
i
e
(
m
n
suduonr made tin- 1967, the U.S. bombing of North Viet-
precedented attempts i n the last month nam has had no measurable effect on
to prepare the public for massive Hanoi's ability to mount and support
,strikes against the North. It previously military operations in Sout
Vi
t
"
e
nam
h
. bombed North Vietnam eight times in This conclusion was shared by the
raids, involving several htudredplanes, C.I.A., International Security Agency =7-
v~hic
l
t
d
l da
.
as
e
severa
ys
Targetsf th D
oeepartment of Defense, apd
h
$aid to have been struck during these former Defense Secretary McNamara.,
occasions included troop concentra If It Is planning on observing pre-
tions, fuel and petroleum dumps and vious limitations on the bombing, why
airfields. All of these raids were car- did the Administration renew strikes
tied out with minimum publicity, how- against the North that were shown to
ever. The large fanfare accompanying be ineffective? And, in particular, why
last week's raids suggests that the did it do so now at a time when It is
Administration has more in mind than making every effortelsewhere to show
In the past. that the war is "winding down"? Could
(2) The Administration has gone out It be that it is prepared to bomb Hanoi,
of its way to provoke. North Vietnam Ifaiphong, the dikes, it it feels.public
in recent months. North Vietnam has opinion will permit it?
been officially bombed 186 times be- Only . time will tell. One thing Is
tween Nixon's accession to office and clear, however: the present bombing
Nov. 1, 1971. Thus there were an is serious, dangerous, and Is causing
average of under six raids monthly heavy civilian casualties in North Viet-
during Nixon's first 34 months in nam, while not providing security in
offic
I
b
`N
h
id
e
n
ovem
er
owever ra
.,, .e sou.
s thth
shot lin to fourteen a mnnih In T) -
re were o
a
stration was ened to bomb the "MIG airfields."
appears that
v
Sin
th
ce
ose at Quaniang,
ll Vinh, and
hoping to provoke a response from the
North that could be used as justifies- Donghoi are quite ite small and have ..,
tion for increased strikes. as with the been bombed already, lie apparently
he
ano
Hai
hon
Wh
thi
h
.
p
g
..-
en
ap
s
(3) Official claims that the present yens, casualties will rise.
'- I
of North Vietnamese 1IG's heavy 1963 were antipersonnel bombs. These ?; ?:`; '
.
-artillery and tanks in Labs were not are bombs that cannot destroy a truck,
used by Secretary Laird to justify the bridge or even a tiny shelter erected ,`
k J .,?
.. ___ .. -_ --'- . - P # +^R^~ ? r ?
rAids
onde
- No corres
.?..... ?he i
,
p
nts
n the
Newsmen are not al:mv,d on bombing pineapple bombs, which send 250,000
17-19 over L CARDR A60'W O ?
50? `
WftFdVeePf4W release 2001/03/04: